Medway Council Operations Depot

Chartway Construction was invited by Medway Council to relocate all of their ground maintenance and SEN school transport service vehicles and plant from the current Deangate Ridge Golf Club site to the new site located between Rochester Airport and the M2 motorway.

The scheme includes reprofiling the site to provide parking for operational and staff vehicles, as well as a secure plant storage area and provides a small office and welfare building, as well as a security gatehouse with controlled site access.

The works will also include associated facilitating works, temporary works, civil works, new buildings, drainage and new service connections; S278 works to form new site vehicular and pedestrian access, landscaping and all other necessary works to deliver the Operations Depot.

Key Issues and how they were managed:

• The site itself is challenging with two main parts - steeply sloping woodland to the north and sloping open space to the south. Considerable cut and fill, as well as ramps were required to facilitate the proposed use
• The site is bound by Stoney Lane and the M2 to the West, and Maidstone Road to the East. To the North and South are two due to be developed sites - HGV Vehicle facility to the North and Transport Hub for Wren Kitchens to the South. Clear lines of communication were established with neighbouring contractors as the adjacent sites progressed.
• Rochester Airport is located only 500m away from the site to the east with the M2 and HS1 line to the west. This had to be considered when utilising high level plant such as cranes.
• South and West is the North Down AONB, bounded by the M2. Arboricultural and ecological surveys were undertaken. Reptile fencing was installed early on to ensure that no wildlife would be affected.
• The site is located approx 350m from the edge of the southern residential area of Rochester and access is via the main road into and out of the City. Deliveries were held away from site until the site manager was ready to receive them and they were then met by a banksman to ensure safety for both the public and site staff.